Today I had to write a sample for an editing project I bid on. As you probably know, if you read this blog, that is how I am trying to make a living. If I am awarded this project I think it is going to be rather interesting. It involves taking transcripts of sermons giving by a real life Southern Baptist preacher and rewriting and editing them. Needless to say, a Southern Baptist and a Wayward Catholic, while not polar opposites, certainly have different approaches.

But then that can be a good thing. After all, we are both on the same side and we are both trying to achieve the same results. We just have different ways of going about it.

What are the results we are after? To get to Heaven, to pass those pearly gates and spend eternity with God. I realize that Catholic theology is a little different from Protestant theology, you know that whole “Once saved, always saved” thing, but we are all trying to get to the same place.

After reading the transcript today, and, by the way, this is the first non-Catholic sermon I have ever heard or read I should say to be more accurate, I have to admit I was impressed with the way the message was delivered. Of course, I understand that there is a fundamental difference between a Catholic Mass and a Baptist Sunday Service and that difference necessitates a different style of delivery. But it would be nice once in awhile if our Pastor would get a little more passionate.

The message of the sermon I rewrote and edited was about Mary and how she and Joseph were both poor, coming from the “wrong side of the tracks” (the preacher’s words, not mine) and how that didn’t matter to God. He also talked about how Mary was at first confused about the whole thing, after all she had never had relations with a man, and knew that some things needed to be done first before she could have a child. But she knew enough to trust in God, and that if it was His will it would be done.

The preacher went on to talk about how we are all chosen by God, whether we are rich or poor, whether we have lots of stuff or nothing. He went on to say how too many times because we have so much stuff we don’t know when God is calling us. We can’t hear Him.

I have written about that before. How we surround ourselves with so much stuff and noise that we can’t hear God when He tries to talk to us. We can’t hear, and sometimes it is because we don’t want to. Mary listened and because she did we all were saved. Can I have an Amen? Sorry, reverted to the Southern Baptist thing.

I am not sure if I will get this project and I am not entirely sure what the end product is supposed to be (I think it will be a book), but I will admit I learned some things today about presentation and messaging, which will only make me better at spreading the Word.

And keep this under your hat, but maybe if I get the project I can slip a little Catholic truth in some of these sermons and who knows what that will do.